The awards are given for the top plaintiffs verdicts, settlements and arbitration awards received in 2014 and reported to the Connecticut Law Tribune. In most categories, a winner and finalist were chosen based strictly on the dollar value of the award. In a few cases, where there was little difference in the award totals, the complexity of the case served as a tiebreaker in choosing a finalist.

The dollar value listed indicates that returned by the judge or jury or reported in the settlement. It does not include legal fees, prejudgment interest or any other adjustments.